Needlework Picture of Landscape with Country House by Unknown Maker

DateLate 18th, early 19th century

MediumSilk embroidery thread, paint, and ink on silk in a gilted wooden frame with eglomise mat

DimensionsOverall (H x W): 9 3/4 x 12 1/2in. (24.8 x 31.8cm) Framed (H x W): 16 1/4 x 19 1/4in. (41.3 x 48.9cm)

Credit LineGift of the John D. Rockefeller, 3rd, Fund, Inc., through the generosity and interest of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, 3rd, and members of the family

Object number1979.602.1

DescriptionThis fairly small needlepoint picture depicts a landscape in front of a large country estate. The lawn is stitched in white, green, yellow, and two shades of blue, with each color in meandering curvilinear lines.

In the lower left is a group of four figures, a young boy, a man, and two women. The boy holds two dogs on a leash and is wearing a short brown coat, knee breeches, white socks and black shoes. The man beside him wears a long blue coat over breeches and tall black boots; he is holding a rifle. One of the women is seated, while the other stands behind her. Both are wearing cream dresses with moderately high waistlines. The sitting woman is wearing a hat while the standing woman wears a turban or other wrapped headdress. All aspects of the figures are stitched in satin stitches save for their faces, the features of which are inked.

Immediately to the right of the group is copse of three entwined trees. The thin trunks are worked in satin stitches, while dimension is added to the leaves by stitching them in French knots in at least 6 shades of green and brown. Instead of shading the colors, they’re worked in tightly curved lines, creating a pattern similar to coral or coxcomb.

In the center of the lawn are three brown cows. The left-most is laying down with its body oriented away from the viewer. The central cow is laying facing left, and the third is grazing facing right. A group of three horses is to the right. The two left horses are white, while the other is golden. The first (left-most) is standing with its body oriented to the right but its head point toward the viewer. The second is facing left, grazing. The third is laying down oriented to the right.

The right of the scene shows a light forest, the trees of which are stitched in the same manner and style as the previously described trees. A circular, white temple with a domed top and seven columns stands to the far right of the trees. Near the temple are two figures with inked rather than stitched faces. Though too small to be positively identifiable, they presumably represent two lovers.

In the center of the scene is the Adam style house, consisting of a large central section with wings on either side. The central portion of the house is three stories tall, with two large staircases meeting at a central door on the second story. Banding separates the first and second stories. The center of the house has four columns with a triangular pediment. Each floor has seven windows across the front, and the structure is four windows deep. It has six chimneys. The wings are identical to each other in form, but the left one is scaled smaller. They are connected to the central portion by enclosed, two story halls, each of which has a triangular pediments at its center and are three windows long. Each wing has a cupola. They are both two-stories tall and three windows long. The entire building is stitched in cream thread.

A path leads to the house from the line of trees to the left. The stitch direction follows the direction of the path. The nearby trees in the tree line to the left use the same technique as the previously described trees, except for a few pine trees, which are stitched with satin stitches. The line of trees that marks the boundary of the scene is stitched in small, flat stitches, probably straight stitches.

The sky is painted in shades of blue, with the borders of the shades scalloped in much the same pattern as the tree leafs. The piece is framed a in a gilded frame with an églomisé mat painted onto the glass. A thick line of gilding borders the painted mat, but there is no inscription.

STITCHES: Bullion stitch or French knot, satin stitch, and straight stitch
Label TextThis needlework picture shows the garden of a large country estate with a group of people lounging by a tree—perhaps returning from a hunt with dogs and musket—and a couple secreting themselves away near a folly. While much of this scene is stitched, the sky is painted, and the figures’ facial details are inked. This needlework picture was likely derived from a print source. The interesting groupings of people, which seem to imply a story, could indicate that it was taken from a book illustration.
ProvenanceObtained by Shreve, Crump and Low, Boston Ma.;
Sold to Abby Aldrich Rockefeller for use in Bassett Hall, Sept. 1936;
Given to CWF, 1979.